Box Score

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University senior attack men Willie Grieco and Danny Riley combined for 10 goals and eight assists, leading the No. 6 Bulldogs to a 24-8 NCAA Division II victory over Barton College Saturday afternoon in Irwin Belk Stadium. The contest was the season opener for both teams.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Wingate men's lacrosse head coach Tim Boyle
 
"It was a great feeling to be able to open up the '23 season with this group of young men and to return to Irwin Belk Stadium for our home games added even more excitement and energy. We are happy with some things we did today and are eager to work on the things we need to fix to move forward. We are looking forward to our next game against Mercyhurst next Saturday."
 
KEY STATS

- Wingate had a 68-28 surplus in shots
- The host 'Dogs had a 41-17 edge in shots on goal
- Barton had 25 turnovers, compared to 22 for Wingate
- Wingate held a dominant 64-29 advantage in ground balls
- The Bulldogs had 24 face-off wins, compared to 12 for their guests

KEY BULLDOGS

- Grieco had five goals and five assists to lead the attack
- Riley recorded five goals and three assists
- Freshman attack Caden Castle had three goals in his WU debut
- Senior attack Marc Cottage, Jr. and freshman midfield Joey Moran posted two goals each
- Seven different Bulldogs had one goal each
- Graduate student face-off specialist James Kotcamp won 17 face-offs (in 22 attempts)
- Kotcamp had a team-best eight ground balls; freshman Dylan Rupprecht added five
- Riley and sophomore defenseman Peyton Farley registered three caused turnovers each
- Johnny Caponi collected nine saves while allowing only six goals in 48+ minutes
 
FIRST QUARTER

- Wingate spotted Barton the game's first goal, then scored six straight to take a 6-1 lead
- Cottage had two of the Bulldogs' six first-quarter scores

SECOND QUARTER

- Barton scored the first three goals of the second stanza in the opening four minutes
- BC senior attack Matt Calleri's goal finished the run, cutting the visitors' deficit to 6-4
- Riley and Grieco went to work, scoring two goals each to help give the 'Dogs an 11-4 lead at intermission
- Castle's first career goal preceded Grieco's second goal to complete the 5-0 run

THIRD QUARTER

- Wingate outscored Barton 8-2 in the third frame to put the game out of reach
- Grieco had a team-best three goals in the quarter, while Riley contributed two scores

FOURTH QUARTER

- Wingate tallied the first five goals of the fourth quarter to complete a 7-0 run
- Freshman attack Matt Magyar finished the flurry with a goal at the 7:45 mark
- Magyar's goal completed the scoring for Wingate, putting the 'Dogs up 24-6
- Barton scored twice in the last four-plus minutes to settle the final margin

UP NEXT

- Wingate is at home next Saturday, hosting No. 7 Mercyhurst at 12 p.m.
- The Bulldogs hit the road Saturday, Feb. 18, visiting Mount Olive